Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Feb 01, 2009

Abigail rated it:

"Unexpectedly delightful" is a phrase that keeps popping into my head, as I sit here considering how best to describe Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy, the first in a long series of books about two (eventually three) young girls growing up in Minnesota in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Begun at an unfortunate time, when a dreadful head cold, and a feeling of being out of charity with the world made the author's somewhat expository style rather irksome for me, the sto More...

32 comments like (7 people liked it)

Apr 22, 2009

Chandra rated it:

Betsy and Tacy are five year old girls – best friends and neighbors who live in a small Minnesota town around the turn of the century. At times their world is so alien to me and my daughter that they might as well be living on the moon. And I’m talking about more than just the way they are allowed wander the neighborhood with out fear of child predators. Betsy has to wear bulky winter tights because the impropriety of girls wearing pants outweighed the ridiculous impracticality of girls wearin More...

10 comments like (7 people liked it)

Oct 22, 2007

Carmen rated it:

The Betsy-Tacy series may be the most influential set of books I ever read. I reread them over and over, because they never lose their beauty. Betsy-Tacy is the first book in the delightful series by Maud Hart Lovelace. Five-year-old Betsy longs for a best friend and finds one when Tacy moves in across the street. Together they have many adventures, including going on picnics, selling sand, playing with paper dolls, going "calling" on neighbors, climbing The Big Hill, and going to sch More...

0 comments like (10 people liked it)

Sep 26, 2007

Lisa rated it:

Thank you to Goodreads friends Ginny & Constance: I saw Betsy-Tacy among your favorites listed on your profile pages and borrowed this book from the library – even by chance got the original 1940 edition which was pretty cool.

How did I miss this series of Betsy-Tacy books when I was a child?! I would have really enjoyed them. The titles Heaven to Betsy and Betsy in Spite of Herself do sound familiar so maybe I did read those; I don’t remember.

This Betsy-Tacy book is so we More...

4 comments like (5 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Ginny rated it:

I've been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, and have many favorites from childhood, but none have ever meant as much to me as the happy and cozy Betsy-Tacy books.

My beloved aunt dug a dusty old copy of Betsy-Tacy out of her attic for me when I was 4 or 5 years old. From the very beginning, I wanted to climb inside this book and live there forever. Written in the 1940s, it is an autobiographical account of Maud Hart Lovelace's turn-of-the-century childhood in Mankato, MN-- More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Mar 22, 2008

Libby rated it:

Looking back, I think Betsy-Tacy had a profound effect on my child self's notion of what might be truly important in this world, namely friendship. The events in the Betsy-Tacy books are pretty mundane, unlike those other Minnesota-centric novels I loved as a child (hello, Little House!) but these novels taught me that friendship itself is a gripping story, an adventure, a tool for transforming the quotidian, prosaic everyday world into a secret, magical place.

Maud Hart Lovelace bas More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 18, 2008

Annette rated it:

Ahh! the innocence of youth! This is a really cute book about two little girls who become best friends. It takes place at the turn of the century which makes it especially charming. It's written in a very simple way which makes it perfect for younger children to enjoy. I read it to my two little girls ages 6 and 4 and they loved it so much that we have decided to read the next one, too, "Betsy-Tacy and Tib".

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 21, 2011

Audrey rated it:

A delightful book that celebrates the innocence and imagination of childhood. This book is written for a very young audience and makes a perfect read-aloud. When I was little, all I wanted was a friend like Tacy. :) I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: growing up is okay, but nothing compares to the magic of childhood—when simple things can become most adventurous and exciting. This book is the first in a series of ten books about Betsy (plus two books about other characters in which she i More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 25, 2008

Lori rated it:

My all-time favorite series as a child. I read every book in the Betsy Tacy (and Tib!) series multiple times and fervently wished I lived on Hill St. with them at the turn of the 20th century. I am so obsessed with this series that I want to visit Mankato, MN and see all things Maud Hart Lovelace related. Maybe I can force my daughter to get interested in this series when she is old enough?? Then, I'll have an excuse to read them all over again.

Sacrilege that it is for me to say th More...

7 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 16, 2008

Arthur rated it:

I am totally the wrong demographic for the Betsy-Tacy books, which are written for young girls. I read book 1 out of curiosity, as the series is mentioned by Meg Ryan's character in the film You've Got Mail. I found this look at young life a hundred years ago so engrossing that I couldn't stop until I'd read all ten of the main series, plus Winona's Pony Cart, set in the same fictional town. The biggest asset in the series is Lovelace's great characterizations of children (who become young adu More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 12, 2008

Cathy rated it:

A perfect book. I just re-read the entire series in honor of my Mom. I love the way they grow in complexity with the kids. The first four books are intended for early readers or read-alongs, ages 5-6, 8-9, 10 and 12. The following 6 books follow Betsy and The Crowd through high school and beyond. (I won't subject you to a review of each of the 10 books.) These characters are among the most vivid and wonderful that I've ever read. The fact that the stories took place 100 years ago does not take a More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 08, 2011

Amy rated it:

A beautiful, perfect book. I'm rereading it to the girls right now (the first time for the 5yo) and their giggles are delicious. I never read these books as a kid, and I'm so glad to be sharing them with my daughters.

5 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 12, 2008

Laura rated it:

I can't remember when I first starting reading this series but 2 years ago I bought them all again to read and own because as a child I had always checked them out from the library. I re-read them all and although the first stories are meant for child level readers I enjoyed a trip down memory lane with Betsy, Tacy, and Tib (a character who comes later on in the series). The reading level grows with the characters which is good for young readers. Utterly delightful stories of adventures and f More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 04, 2007

Stephanie rated it:

This book changed my life and made me want to become a writer. I still remember discovering it on a rainy day. It had been given to my sister, who chucked it aside to watch TV. I was enchanted by page one. Unfortunately, the later books in the series were out of print. When my family moved to New Jersey, I was miserable until I found that the Library of The Chathams had the entire series. That fact alone made moving worthwhile. Nearly 30 years later, Hart Lovelace remains my favorite writer, EVE More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 19, 2011

Bluerose's rated it:

I learned very quickly that I have a great deal in common with Tacy. I'm extremely curious how her character will progress through the rest of the series! I have nothing at all in common with Betsy, so I imagine we would have been good friends. Two extremely bashful people aren't going to talk a whole lot, I'm guessing. My friends in elementary school and my best friend starting in 6th grade were all a great deal more talkative than me. That's really not saying much, though. Most of the people I More...

0 comments like

Dec 04, 2010

Lisa rated it:

Even though my elementary school library had the whole series, I never read any of the Betsy-Tacy books as a kid because I thought the titles sounded girly and babyish. I guess I missed out! I just read the first book out of curiosity at age 26 and discovered that Betsy-Tacy is a delightful kind of spun-sugar retelling of the author's girlhood adventures in turn of the century Minessota. Betsy, the main character, is based on the author herself, and Tacy, whose name provides the other half of More...

1 comment like

Mar 07, 2010

Carin rated it:

I will admit, I had never read these books. So I’m starting with the first one, and it was adorable. I love that the book is called “Betsy-Tacy” because the two girls were always together so when their families would call for them, they’d call “Betsy-Tacy!” I can actually hear that call in my head and it makes me smile. I also loved how Betsy basically just decided she was going to be friends with Tacy, and aside from their initial disastrous meeting, that’s exactly what happened. Children More...

0 comments like

Feb 17, 2010

Janessa rated it:

My seven year old received Betsy-Tacy for her birthday from her grandmother, and absolutely adored it. The book follows the adventures of Betsy and Tacy, best friends in a quaint, turn of the century mid-western neighborhood. The delightful world the girls inhabit is framed by the markers of the big hill, the maple tree, the chocolate colored house, the red-brick school, and their own back doors. The story is a collection of anecdotes about the girls beginning school, attending parties, plann More...

0 comments like

Sep 28, 2009

Drebbles rated it:

Betsy-Tacy is the first book in the delightful series by Maud Hart Lovelace. Five-year-old Betsy longs for a best friend and finds one when Tacy moves in across the street. Together they have many adventures, including going on picnics, selling sand, playing with paper dolls, going "calling" on neighbors, climbing The Big Hill, and going to school for the first time.

The Betsy-Tacy books were partially autobiographical and Lovelace perfectly captures the innocence and magic More...

0 comments like

Dec 22, 2011

Marie rated it:

The cutest thing ever! Their adventures are so old-fashioned. There is really a kind of joy in learning how children used to play and think back then. I love this book way better than the The Complete Anne of Green Gables Boxed Setand the The Little House Collection Box Set. These books havea lot of promise. I'm reading the series as background reading for Home for the Holidaysbecause this is the series they read in the books. The author often formulates the charcter's troubles around similar ch More...

0 comments like

Mar 22, 2010

Jane rated it:

We recently listened to this sweet book in our car, while running around town. Only two CD's and perhaps ten chapters, the book flew by in just a few trips, and the kids were sad when there wasn't anymore.

Having read little as a young girl, since I was out climbing trees with our rabble of neighborhood kids (we lived on a very cool block!) I read very few of the oldies. This was a treat. It reminds me of the modern-day Penderwicks--just a neighborhood of normal kids, going about their More...

0 comments like

Jul 14, 2011

Elizabeth rated it:

This was a great chapter book to read aloud! The language is difficult for not quite four, but my daughter asked a lot of questions and we spent a lot of time recapping what happened. We talked about some of the unfamiliar concepts (horses and buggies, ladies with calling cards) and about some of the things that were familiar to her (playing dress up, pretending to drive, making up stories).

We did skip the chapter in which Tacy's baby sister dies. I think that would probably be fine f More...

0 comments like

Dec 31, 2009

Rhiannon rated it:

Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace is about a little girl named Betsy who lives on Hill Street at the turn of the century. There are no little girls Betsy's age on Hill Street, until one day a new family with a lot of children move in across the street from Betsy. In that family, there is a little girl Betsy's age. This is when Betsy meets her new best friend, Tacy.(Short for Anna Anastacia) Lovelace did an amazing job writing this book! I think the most interesting thing about it, is that it's ab More...

0 comments like

Oct 21, 2009

Colleen rated it:

When I was in 4th grade, living in Chicago, I discovered the Betsy-Tacy books. I adored them. Summer came along, right in the middle of one of the books, and I had to return it to the school library. I carefully marked the spot where I had stopped, either by turning down a corner (gasp!) or tucking in a bookmark. But then we moved to Philadelphia during the summer! And I lost track of my precious Betsy-Tacy books! Fast forward to 1995 and an article in the Los Angeles Times (by now I'm a 3 More...

0 comments like

Feb 19, 2010

meg rated it:

i love this book now just as much as i did when i was little. i almost forgot just how funny/sweet/charming the betsy-tacy books are. in the first book they are five, and go through the full range of the five-year-old experience, including the first day of school, meeting new friends, a new sibling, and, for one, the death of a baby sister, along with all the whimsy of childhood imagination and play. the olden-day details are so rich and evocative, and though the horses and buggies and school-ho More...

0 comments like

Sep 29, 2010

Jelinas rated it:

This book took me back to a simpler time.

Back before kids told their parents regularly that they hate them because they didn't grant the kids permission to do something or go somewhere.

Back before kids were driven to drugs and suicide by playground bullying.

Back before kids were so filled with angst before they even started attending school that they arrived with chips already firmly on shoulders.

Lovelace bases most of her book on her own childhoo More...

0 comments like

Jul 22, 2011

Tiffany rated it:

This is a cute little book about two little girls, Betsy & Tacy, who live across the street from each other, become best friends and all the adventures they have together. This story comes from 5 year old Betsy's perspective, which explains the simple story line and surreal descriptions of life on Hill Street. I enjoyed thinking about how different life would have been then and how times have changed.

One thing that I found intriguing was the way the author wove the make-believe world More...

4 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 07, 2010

Margaret rated it:

(This is a review of the whole series, by the way.)

Maud Hart Lovelace was born in 1892 in Mankato, Minnesota, the town she later immortalized as Deep Valley in her beloved series of Betsy-Tacy books. These follow the adventures of childhood friends Betsy Ray and Tacy Kelly from the age of five, when they meet for the first time at Betsy's birthday party, through the school years to marriage and beyond.

The books are based largely on Lovelace's own life, and I think this i More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 22, 2009

Ti rated it:

The Short of It:

Delightful, fun and incredibly charming!

The Rest of It:

My daughter is new to reading so we are always looking for books to read together so when Book Club Girl mentioned Betsy-Tacy I was like "Who in the world is Betsy Tacy?" Well, Betsy and Tacy are actually two girls who happen to be best friends. Do you remember when you were young and how you used to play until the street lights came on? How you would carve that old r More...

2 comments like

May 13, 2011

Kelly rated it:

I have a feeling that I'm going to really like the later books in the series, but wow, getting through the rest of the three early ones is going to be a challenge. They're not bad---they're actually very cute---but there's not really a story there.

While I was reading this, I was actually picturing reading them to Marley when she's older (and if we're ever in the same place long enough for a reading session) and then I reached the part where Betsy's telling the story about acceptin More...

5 comments like

reviews